Educational Travel Consortium (ETC)

Annual Conference

Benefits of Attendance

Defining ETC: The Educational Travel Consortium (ETC) is a professional membership organization dedicated to promoting lifelong learning through travel, and advancing the field of alumni and affinity travel. The Educational Travel Consortium is now comprised of 600member institutionsrepresenting the four pillars of educational travel program delivery – travel planners, tour operators, travel suppliers, and global destinations.

The Challenge: Managing an institutionaltravel program is in many ways unlike any other institutional department. Managers in this position serve the affinity mission of the educational and nonprofit institution. However,Travel Planners must also understand and address the rapidly changingrealities, increasing competition of the travel industry at large, global geopolitical and natural events, as well as manage the operational goals and restrictions of essentially running a small business.

Why attend ETC’s Annual Conference?:Whether your institution designs their own programs, buys stock programs from an operator, outsources programs and call centers, or operates somewhere within this continuum of program management, all travel planners should attend the annual Conference for critical professional training in a rapidly changing travel industry.

This is the one time annually that there is a major intersection of all constituents in the supply chain for affinity travel to stop, listen and learn from a multiplicity of perspectives, knowledge share, collaborate and cross pollinate skills beyond traditional silos, influence business models and infuse heterogeneous perspectives needed to source innovative solutions for our challenges within the educational travel marketplace. As the community-curated agenda outlines there is zero time to “recreate or vacay.”

Conference and Membership Deliverables:Since first convened in 1987, Educational Travel Consortium’s (ETC) annual conference is the one essential event for professional training, programmatic and industry development in affinity travel. Travel planners walk away with actionable insights to innovate the educational experiences for their travelers across the globe, a vigilant commitment to risk management and a broader understanding of the growing competition impinging on their travel programs and engagement with their travelers.

ETC’s annual conference and online Membership offer professional development, mentoring, and an environment for the travel planners at alumni associations, zoos, museums, cultural, and conservation organizations who are responsible for the planning, management and/or marketing of alumni, member, and donor travel programs.

The industry networking opportunities at ETC’s conference allow Travel Planners time to meet, vet and discover potential new partners that could keep programs fresh and relevant. General professional development conferences cannot offer the same skills, business templates, and partnerships.

ROI of Participation:ETC’s annual conference prepares institutional planners with training and resources through:

  • its’ trademarked “Jumpstart Seminar” program – designed to cater to new and newly launched travel programs
  • the Risk Management Professional Training – in its’ third year, this professional training is worth thousands of dollars if delivered in the public sector. It is included in the cost of conference registration.
  • innovative marketing initiatives designed to address the latest trends in travel and multiple platforms to communicate with potential travelers,
  • delivering the latest itinerary development, through destination education,
  • discussions and idea sharing focused on program development,
  • travel specific trends and insights into growing competition,
  • by procuring professional industry speakers that cannot be accessed through other conferences, and
  • uniting influencers who share a crosspollination of ideas and view points so that delegates can examine unique ways to sustain and grow their program.

For example, the Travel Planner Track, isespecially valuable as we source new methods to increase engagement, stay current with customer service techniques, and better understand how other not-for-profit institutions incorporate successfuland sustainabletechniques of creating a travel program that reflects the mission of the institution.

Why Bermuda in 2018?:ETC’s Executive Advisory Council, having met for their mid-year 2016 meeting in Bermuda, started a conversation about where Bermuda and the educational marketplace align.

  • In “walking the talk” to support destinations hard pressed to deal with a myriad of environmental to cultural challenges that tourism presents, Bermuda is one such place where reefs are in eminent danger as well as an increasingly marginalized cultural & community development due to mega cruise tourism .
  • With four centuries of colonial history, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bermuda is now charged with redefining their sense of place beyond beaches to deepening its culture and heritage expose. This mandate perfectly supports ETC’s mission to deepen educational exchanges and to find ways to spark reflection and innovation (beyond the present!)
  • With collaborative support from Bermuda’s cultural, heritage and academic institutions, ETC is leveraging the location to launch new platforms for experiential learning, build content within and beyond the walls of the hotel, create hands-on learning labs and intensives with deep dive conversations all combined to provide you with the tools and resources I cannot find at any other conference, all in one location.

Cost Comparison: ETC has contained the cost of membership and conference registration for travel planners for the past five years running, recognizing the need to balance budgets with value of participation in the educational travel community.

Bermuda, February 5-8, 2018 St Louis, February 12-15, 2017

·Approximate Airfare: [$]·Airfare:[$]

·Hotel: $146.00/night + taxes & fees (5-star)· Hotel: $154.00/night + tax (4-star)

· Conference Registration: $520 (first person), · Conference Registration: $520 (first person),

$390 (2nd person), $260 (3rd person) $390 (2nd person), $260 (3rd person)

· AnnualMembership: $175/person· AnnualMembership: $175/person

ETC’s Early Registration ends October 24, 2017 and there is currently a hotel and airfare discount accessible through ETC’s partnership with Delta Airlines.

Please contactTravel Planner Members of the ETC Executive Advisory Council, or the Founder of ETC, who are available to answer any additional questions you may have.

Melissa C. GreshBeth Ray-Schroeder Dan Stypa

Director, Alumni TravelDirector, Alumni TravelAssoc. Director, Alumni Programs

MITDuke UniversityRice University

J. Mara DelliPriscoli

Founder

Educational Travel Consortium

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For more information on the Educational Travel Consortium and the 2018 conference agenda, visit